Battle of Xuan Loc

The Battle of Xuan Loc was the last major battle of the Vietnam War, occurring from 9 to 21 April 1975.

With the fall of Hue and Da Nang to the North Vietnamese and their Viet Cong allies, South Vietnamese president Nguyen Van Thieu ordered a general retreat towards Saigon, hoping to conserve ARVN forces for the defense of the capital. The NVA and Viet Cong forces overwhelmed the rest of the country as the ARVN and sympathetic civilians retreated, and the ARVN halted at Xuan Loc, a town located along Highway 1 which was just 40 miles from Saigon. The ARVN launched their last stand at Xuan Loc, committing almost all their remaining mobile forces to stall the NVA advance. The ARVN 18th Division beat off several NVA attempts to take the town, but, on 19 April, Dao was ordered to withdraw after Xuan Loc was completely isolated. The 18th Division disintegrated during its retreat, and President Thieu resigned on 21 April, the same day as Xuan Loc's fall.